I love those who love me, and those who seek me diligently find me. Proverbs 8:17
At the back of our property, I usually left the car parked and unlocked because we lived in a safe neighborhood. One day, I opened the door of my car and there on the front seat was a pamphlet that read “The Whore of Babylon” and it went on to read all sorts of accusations against the Catholic church. My first reaction was shock! Continue reading
Scripture of the Day: Psalm 65:1
O God in Zion, we wait before you in silent praise, and thus fulfill our vow. And because you answer prayer, all mankind will come to you with their requests.
Some people know God answers prayer…others are skeptical, perhaps because their prayers seem to go unanswered. Some have never read the Bible to know how God has answered and will answer prayers, and still others have never heard you share about your answered prayers. Continue reading
Someone said to me, “Who made you God?” I don’t remember what I had said that prompted this question…but it did make me think. Was I playing God…coming up with my own conclusions or was I seeking the source of all truth…God’s truth about His Church? Continue reading
As I was looking out my sunroom window today, I marvel at the glistening new layer of white snow we received. In the sun, it almost looks like diamonds sparkling. It brought to my mind another old hymn called “Whiter Than Snow”. 
I am not crazy about winter snow, but when I see the beauty of the white snow and how clean it looks…it reminds me of God’s gift to us of washing us whiter than snow… Hope you enjoy reading the lyrics to this song. The next time you see a new fallen snow….remember what God will or has done for you…
Psalm 112 1. Praise the LORD Blessed are those who fear the LORD, who find great delight in his commands. 2. Their children will be mighty in the land; … the generation of the upright will be blessed. 3. Wealth and riches are in their houses, and their righteousness endures forever. 4. Even in darkness light dawns for the upright, for those who are gracious and compassionate and righteous. 5. Good will come to those who are generous and lend freely, who conduct their affairs with justice. 6. Surely the righteous will never be shaken; they will be remembered forever. 7. They will have no fear of bad news; their hearts are steadfast, trusting in the LORD. 8. Their hearts are secure, they will have no fear; in the end they will look in triumph on their foes. 9. They have freely scattered their gifts to the poor, their righteousness endures forever; their horn (dignity) will be lifted high in honor.
God speaks to us through the Bible. As I was reading this scripture today I started looking closely to the words. Do I delight in his commands… We live in such a time that we tend to complain about commands and I had to ask myself, “Although I don’t verbally complain about God’s commands…do I internally? Do I choose what I’ll obey from God’s word, like it was a catalog. Have I said, ‘I’ll do that one and that one and that one….but I am not going to do that one.’ “ It comes down to how much I reverence the Lord. If I reverence the Lord, I will delight in his commands. I will want to obey….all of them. When we obey…that is being surrendered. There was an old song I learned as a child in church called “I surrender All”. It went like this, “I surrender all, I surrender all, all to Jesus I surrender, I surrender all” Have you surrendered? Do you delight in His commands? When you love someone, you want to please them and you listen to them. Is today your day to surrender your all to Him? Dear God, Help us to surrender to you out of reverence for who you are knowing that you will put a desire in us to delight in your commands. Love, Marilyn Filed Under: Uncategorized
Scripture of the Day:
Psalm 42:1-2
As the deer pants for streams of water,
so my soul pants for you, my God.
2 My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.
When can I go and meet with God?
When we experience thirst throughout the day…. sometimes we become so thirsty that we long for a drink to quench our thirst. If we wait to long, it doesn’t matter what we drink…but just that we get something into our dry mouths to relieve the thirst. However, the best way to satisfy our thirst is some good clean water…..we take the first swallow and feel a relief and before you realize it…the whole glass is empty and we want more… then a satisfaction comes…a quenching.
Last year, after I came down with a bacterial infection post surgery, the doctors ordered that I was not to receive anything to drink because I might need surgery. I never knew what real thirst felt like until then. After two days, my mouth became parched. After three days, my tongue felt like leather…. I thirsted for water so much I even dreamed about drinking water. They allowed me to have ice chips to melt in my mouth but then told me to spit the water out…. That was temporary relief for my mouth…but my desire for water was so strong.
It is like that with our souls… we long for something to quench our thirst and at times we try to satisfy our needs with everything but God… we find those things do not really satisfy our need. Like our natural body pants for water… our souls thirst for God. “My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. ” When can I go and meet with God?”
I pray that my soul thirsts for God everyday so much that I can hardly wait to meet with Him in prayer. Is your soul thirsty today… are you becoming parched? Then go to God of living waters and immerse yourself. He will quench your thirst!
Our mother wrote about Psalm 23…when she was still living on earth in August 2004. I wanted to share this today as I was talking to a friend about her fear…
Recently I had a new insight into a very old scripture. When I shared with my girls later, Carol asked me to put this into writing for her…. (Thank you Carol for asking mom to put her thoughts into writing… )
One of the very first passages of Scripture that I memorized as a child was the 23rd Psalm… so familiar that I seldom refer to it even think about it. However, those words came to my mind, “The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want.” It has been almost two years since my husband of almost 60 years left me for Heaven. So I realized the Lord really had been my Shepherd and I had been cared for and never been in want.
So I continued quoting the verses until I came to this one: “Yea, tho’ I walk thro’ the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil” – and that is when it hit me. I had always connected that verse with meaning “not fearing death or dying.” Twice in my adult life I was “sick unto death,” as the Bible puts it, and I asked God to either heal me or take me Home (heaven). I would be content either way, just don’t let me linger on in such illness that my family would all become exhausted caring for me. I have seen that happen all too many times and that was my greatest fear. I just could not bear the thought of that happening.
But now, I realize the psalmist was not talking about death at all. But he was speaking of the very thing I was so fearful of. “Yea, tho’ I walk’ – you don’t get there very fast walking, for it is a slow, prolonged process. “Thro’ the valley.” I’d rather be up on the mountaintop where I could overlook the valley, but the psalmist went ahead to say “of the shadow of death.”
Could God be preparing me for my own “walk” in the future? And that I should not be afraid, “For thou art with me.” Or am I to share with someone else who may be going thro’ their valley? Only time will tell.
Then I am reminded that in Psalm 56:3 the same psalmist said, “What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee,” and I am blessed with that assurance.
( I wonder what mom is doing in heaven today….rejoicing I am sure and without fear!!)
Thoughtful Reflection 